Northern Ireland U-17’s ladies manager Alison Nichol today called for people across Northern Ireland to nominate a deserving ‘football mum’ for the 2016 Northern Ireland McDonald’s Football Mum of the Year Award. Launching the award for the second year running, Ali; mum of three year old Zac is looking for mums who go above and beyond so their children can enjoy playing football, week-in week-out.

The Northern Ireland McDonald’s Football Mum of the Year Award recognises mums who put in countless unpaid hours of hard work so that their children and their friends can enjoy playing football.

From helping run their child’s local team, or even obtaining IFA coaching badges and starting a local team simply so their children and friends can play, right through to managing the kits and taking teams training or to matches that can be hours away; the awards are an opportunity to acknowledge the selflessness of football mums.

McDonald’s Northern Ireland Football Mum of the Year ambassador, Alison Nichol, said: “I am delighted to be able to support this amazing campaign that seeks to promote all the amazing work that football mums do across Northern Ireland. As a working mum; I know first-hand how hard it can be to balance all that family life brings let along have coaching drills perfected, balance sheets up to date and match logistics organised. As Northern Ireland U-17’s ladies manager I see the wholehearted commitment that mums make, going way beyond kit cleaning or running kids to matches. There is so much dedication that isn’t acknowledged so the Football Mum of the Year campaign is a great chance to recognise these women from up and down the country.”

Alison added “I would like to call on all mums interested in getting involved in the grassroots game to get out there and get stuck in; there are so many different ways that you can help whether that’s through getting professional coaching qualifications or by playing a mentoring role in the hundreds of grassroots clubs located across Northern Ireland. With the popularity of the game particularly amongst girls and ladies on the rise there has never been a better time to get your boots on and get involved.”

Alison Nichol will present the Northern Ireland Football Mum of the Year Award to the winner at the IFA and McDonald’s Community Football Awards evening taking place this November in Belfast.

Nominations for the McDonald’s Football Mum of the Year Award are now open. To nominate a mum you know, go to mcdonalds.co.uk/mumoftheyear .